Books like An American Story by Kwame Alexander


An American Story is a powerful and poignant picture book that tells the tale of the African American community’s struggle against slavery. From the fireside tales of an African village to the brutal reality of the journey across the Atlantic and the backbreaking labor in the South, this book encapsulates the harsh realities and resilience of the African American experience. It serves as a testament to the strength and determination of the community, offering hope and inspiration for readers of all ages.
First publish date: 2022
Genre: Children's Fiction/Picture Books
Authors: Kwame Alexander
0.0 (0 community ratings)

An American Story by Kwame Alexander

How are these books recommended?

The books recommended for An American Story by Kwame Alexander are shaped by reader interaction. Votes on how closely books relate, user ratings, and community comments all help refine these recommendations and highlight books readers genuinely find similar in theme, ideas, and overall reading experience.


Have you read any of these books?
Your votes, ratings, and comments help improve recommendations and make it easier for other readers to discover books they’ll enjoy.

Books similar to An American Story (16 similar books)

The Hate U Give by 11741377|Angie Thomas book cover

πŸ“˜ The Hate U Give

The Hate U Give tracks 16‑year‑old Starr Carter, a Black teenager from a poor Bronx neighborhood who attends an elite private school, as she confronts police violence, social media battles, and community turmoil after witnessing her friend’s shooting.

β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜… 4.4 (114 ratings)
Similar? ✓ Yes 0 ✗ No 0
Refugee by 4650514|Alan Gratz book cover

πŸ“˜ Refugee
 by Alan Gratz

Three teenagers from different eras and continents embark on perilous journeys to escape war, persecution, and tyranny, each facing drowning, bombings and betrayal, yet their stories converge, showing that hope endures across time and borders.

β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜… 4.0 (33 ratings)
Similar? ✓ Yes 0 ✗ No 0
The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by 7742208|Sherman Alexie book cover

πŸ“˜ The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian

Junior, a budding cartoonist from the Spokane Indian Reservation, transfers to an all‑white farm‑town high school, where the only other Indian is the school mascot.

β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜… 3.7 (29 ratings)
Similar? ✓ Yes 0 ✗ No 0
The Crossover by 5897087|Kwame Alexander book cover

πŸ“˜ The Crossover

Josh and his twin brother Jordan navigate high school, basketball, and the changing bond between them through verses of rhyme and the thrill of the game.

β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜… 4.5 (18 ratings)
Similar? ✓ Yes 0 ✗ No 0
Brown Girl Dreaming by 7209110|Jacqueline Woodson book cover

πŸ“˜ Brown Girl Dreaming

Newbery Honor Book National Book Award Finalist

β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜… 4.6 (11 ratings)
Similar? ✓ Yes 0 ✗ No 0
Ghost by 8077700|Jason Reynolds book cover

πŸ“˜ Ghost

A gifted and rebellious runner is pulled onto a top middle‑school track squad, where he must confront personal and family challenges while discovering his true potential.

β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜… 4.3 (10 ratings)
Similar? ✓ Yes 0 ✗ No 0
Long Way Down by 8077700|Jason Reynolds book cover

πŸ“˜ Long Way Down

In a tense sixty seconds, a young boy faces a choice that will determine whether he seeks revenge for his brother’s death or walks away from violence.

β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜… 5.0 (7 ratings)
Similar? ✓ Yes 0 ✗ No 0
Slavery by another name by 7695600|Douglas A. Blackmon book cover

πŸ“˜ Slavery by another name

Douglas A. Blackmon exposes a hidden chapter of American historyβ€”an "Age of Neoslavery" that subjected African Americans to forced labor and debt slavery from the late 19th century through the 1940s.

β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜… 5.0 (3 ratings)
Similar? ✓ Yes 0 ✗ No 0
Good Trouble by 7238944|Christopher Noxon book cover

πŸ“˜ Good Trouble


β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜… 3.0 (1 rating)
Similar? ✓ Yes 0 ✗ No 0
True American by 11256233|Anand Giridharadas book cover

πŸ“˜ True American

Days after 9/11, an avowed "American terrorist" named Mark Stroman, seeking revenge, walked into the Dallas minimart where Raisuddin Bhuiyan, a former Bangladesh Air Force officer, has found temporary work and shoots him, nearly killing him. Giridharadas traces the making of these two men, Stroman and Bhuiyan, and of their fateful encounter, following them as they rebuild shattered lives. Ten years after the shooting, an Islamic pilgrimage seeds in Bhuiyan a strange idea: if he is ever to be whole, he must reenter Stroman's life. He publicly forgives Stroman, and wages a legal and public-relations campaign to have his attacker spared from the death penalty.

β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜… 4.0 (1 rating)
Similar? ✓ Yes 0 ✗ No 0
Dark princess by 6937200|W. E. B. Du Bois book cover

πŸ“˜ Dark princess

29, 311 p. 24 cm

β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜… 4.0 (1 rating)
Similar? ✓ Yes 0 ✗ No 0
Old Memories, New Moods by 6961935|Peter I. Rose book cover

πŸ“˜ Old Memories, New Moods


β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜… 1.0 (1 rating)
Similar? ✓ Yes 0 ✗ No 0
Booked by 5897087|Kwame Alexander book cover

πŸ“˜ Booked


β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜… 5.0 (1 rating)
Similar? ✓ Yes 0 ✗ No 0
If you lived at the time of Martin Luther King by 6278823|Ellen Levine book cover

πŸ“˜ If you lived at the time of Martin Luther King

Ellen Levine’s book introduces young readers to the 1950s–1960s Civil Rights Movement through vivid illustrations and a Q&A format, covering events like the Montgomery Bus Boycott, lunch‑counter sit‑ins, and the March on Washington.

β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜… 0.0 (0 ratings)
Similar? ✓ Yes 0 ✗ No 0
The Undefeated by 5897087|Kwame Alexander book cover

πŸ“˜ The Undefeated

Kwame Alexander’s poetic tribute celebrates the resilience of Black Americans, from slavery to civil rights, with Kadir Nelson’s striking illustrations. The picture book earned the 2020 Caldecott Medal and a Newbery Honor.

β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜… 0.0 (0 ratings)
Similar? ✓ Yes 0 ✗ No 0
We are not yet equal by 10820876|Carol (Carol Elaine) Anderson book cover

πŸ“˜ We are not yet equal

An evidence‑based look at five pivotal moments of white backlash that has followed African‑American advances toward equality in the United States, adapted for a teenage audience.

β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜… 0.0 (0 ratings)
Similar? ✓ Yes 0 ✗ No 0

Some Other Similar Books

Inside Out and Back Again by Thanhha Lai
Stamped: Racism, Antiracism, and You by Jason Reynolds and Ibram X. Kendi

Have a similar book in mind? Let others know!

Please login to submit books!